ECU falls in overtime to Tulane, 31-24

GREENVILLE - After Gardner Minshew led the Pirates from their own 11 yard line to a game-tying touchdown with 36 seconds left, momentum was fully on the side of ECU.

However, when Tulane Green Wave received the ball back, they calmly took a knee, sending the 24-24 contest to overtime.

The Green Wave scored on their overtime possession on a Jonathan Banks 16-yard run, then held on for the 31-24 victory.

With the Pirates facing 3rd-and-goal from the 2, a pitch to the left side to running back Devin Anderson took a pitch to left side and was brought down at the 1.

Then, on 4th-and-goal from the 1, Darius Pinnix was stuffed for no gain.

ECU's leading rusher for the game, Hussein Howe, was not in the game for the final two plays.

Howe had lost his helmet on second down and had to sit out third down but he could have been back in for fourth.

"I feel like any back we had in there could get the job done so I wasn't mad or anything," Howe said.

He had 108 rushing yards on the night, ECU's only game this season with a 100-yard plus rusher.

ECU head coach Scottie Montgomery said that even though this loss was more dramatic and sudden than others, they all feel roughly the same.

"All of them hurt, every single one of them hurt," he said.

"This type, there are four or five plays that I could go back and look at and see that if something goes the other way, who knows, but it's unfortunate."

Gardner Minshew got the start at quarterback and passed for 228 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Trevon Brown was the Pirates' leading receiver with 72 yards on seven catches.

ECU (2-8, 1-5 American) forced three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble), one of the better performances of the year for the unit.

Tulane (4-6, 2-4) still rushed for 325 yards as a team and had 446 total yards to ECU's 389.

Dontrell Hilliard led the Green Wave with 189 rushing yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns.

"We had to work really hard to get this win tonight. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times but our defense rose to the occasion with that huge stop and I am so proud of our guys," Tulane head coach Willie Fritz said.

The Pirates have their last home game of the season next week versus Cincinnati.